Ha Noi pilots using traditional craft villages as community learning spaces

DTO/NDO- The Ha Noi Department of Education and Training, in coordination with the Thanh Oai Communal People's Committee, launched a pilot Community Learning Centre at Chuong Village Communal House in Thanh Oai Commune on July 22 under the theme "Chuong Village conical hats – From traditional heritage to modern economic value."

The centre is one of three pilot models introduced by the city to promote lifelong learning while linking it with cultural preservation, economic development and digital transformation.

Speaking at the launch ceremony, Nguyen Hong Hai, Vice Chairman of the Thanh Oai Communal People's Committee and Director of the Community Learning Centre, said the selection of the locality for the pilot model provides an opportunity to make the centre's activities more practical and better aligned with residents' needs.

According to Hai, the centre will go beyond providing general knowledge classes to become an open learning space where local people can acquire vocational skills, digital skills and livelihood development knowledge based on the commune's own strengths. The first learning topic therefore focuses on the development of Chuong Village's traditional conical hat-making craft, which has existed for more than 300 years.

Assessing the model, Nguyen Quang Tuan, Deputy Director of the Ha Noi Department of Education and Training, said the launch of the pilot Community Learning Centre in Thanh Oai Commune is significant in many respects, helping translate into practice the policy of building a learning society while promoting lifelong learning models in association with the specific conditions of each locality.

Tuan said that, alongside passing on traditional craftsmanship, the centre should continue guiding local people in applying digital technology to promote and market their products, develop experiential tourism routes and One Commune One Product (OCOP) products, build brand identities, adopt QR-code traceability, and strengthen partnerships with businesses and travel companies to enhance the value of traditional craft village products.

The Community Learning Centre model is expected to provide local residents with greater access to new knowledge and skills, ranging from digital technology applications to market development, thereby helping preserve and promote the value of traditional crafts.

Immediately after the launch ceremony, Chuong Village Communal House was transformed into an open classroom. Artisans guided students, local residents and visitors through every stage of conical hat making, from preparing palm leaves and stitching the hats to completing the finished products. Alongside traditional conical hats, a range of souvenir and gift designs featuring new styles and colours were also introduced to target the tourism market.

Another highlight of the programme was its first livestream sales session, which attracted a large online audience and secured its first orders, demonstrating the potential of traditional craft village products on e-commerce platforms.

According to the Ha Noi Department of Education and Training, following Thanh Oai, the city will continue rolling out pilot Community Learning Centres in Thanh Liet Ward, focusing on safeguarding intangible cultural heritage, and in Hoai Duc Commune, featuring a community digital library model.

(Source: NDO)